by T. R. Hamby
“Sorry,” Barry murmured, getting to his feet.
Gabriel studied him, frowning. “What? What happened?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re afraid I won’t come back?”
“No.”
Gabriel still looked worried. “Are you sick?”
Barry managed a chuckle. “No.”
“You look like shit.”
He sighed. For some reason he didn’t want to tattle on Serene--even though, in some ways, it was something Gabriel should know about.
He shrugged. “Your sister….said some things. Just now.”
A look of understanding crossed Gabriel’s face, and he glowered. “Oh.”
“But--you know. It’s fine.”
“You wouldn’t look like that if it was fine,” Gabriel breathed. “What did she say?”
“It doesn’t matter. You have to go.”
He had a hard time looking him in the eye.
There was a pause. Then Gabriel hugged him, squeezing him tight.
“Back at noon,” he said. “I love you.”
He said it so casually that at first Barry didn’t catch it. Then he was shocked--he had actually said it. Gabriel loved him. They were in love. It was real.
Then he was pulling away to kiss him, and Barry cupped his face in his hands. They were both smiling, and Barry felt much better. Gabriel loved him no matter his history--that had to count for something. And it made him happier than he had felt in a long time.
The three left, and Barry went down for some tea. He found the three left over--Mel, Nora and Gilla--all sitting at the counter. Tea had already been made, and he went to the kettle to fix himself a cup.
He still felt a little unsettled; his conversation with Serene had shaken him up a bit.
“Come sit by me,” Nora said, indicating the chair next to her, and he sat down.
Mel was speaking to a signing Gilla across the counter, his voice low.
Nora looked Barry over. “You all right?” she murmured quietly.
God, he really must have looked like shit. He shrugged and nodded, sipping his tea.
She didn’t look convinced. “Gabriel was pissed when he came down.”
Barry couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long time since someone had fussed over him.
“Don’t worry. We’re not fighting,” he said.
He hesitated, but was unable to stop himself. “He told me he loved me.”
Nora looked stunned. Then she grinned, squeezing his arm. “That’s great. I’m happy for you. For both of you.”
“Thanks, Nora.”
He thought for a moment, swirling the contents of his mug. “Serene go off okay?”
Nora frowned. “Yeah. As well as she could, I guess. You know, she didn’t want to talk to anyone.”
Barry couldn’t help but snort. “She talked to me.”
Nora raised an eyebrow, and he could tell she guessed what Serene had said to him.
“Oh. I see.”
Barry shook his head, feeling stupid. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter, Barry,” she replied firmly. “And you should know she’s wrong. You’re strong; you’re smart. You make Gabriel happy. Anyone can see that.”
He studied his cup. He knew she was right. But he couldn’t forgive himself for all the shit he had done before he cleaned up.
And he wondered how close he was to doing it all again.
Nora touched his arm again, and he looked at her. She gave him a reassuring look. “It’s okay. Trust me.”
Her voice was soothing, and he nodded. Well, there were two people in the world who believed in him.
“So,” Mel said, and Nora and Barry turned to face him. “Gilla and I were talking about how Grayson’s Talent didn’t work on her. He talked to her; she should have gotten a blast of it, but she was fine.”
There was a pause as they all considered this.
Barry still felt like an outsider--which, technically he was--and that giving his opinion was unwelcome.
But he went for it anyway. “Could Talents not work on her?”
The other three looked at each other, frowning, for a long moment.
Then Nora gasped, and clapped her hands to the table. “You absorbed his powers!”
Gilla stared at her, bewildered, and shook her head confusedly.
“Bakker,” Nora insisted excitedly. “When you killed him, you must have absorbed his Talent. He was Immune to other Talents, wasn’t he?”
Barry had no idea what she was talking about, but it seemed to make sense, because suddenly Gilla and Mel looked struck.
“Christ,” Mel said, looking at Gilla, who was pale. “That sounds like something Father would do to you.”
“We’ll have to test it out somehow….we can’t use your anger, Mel; she’s used to it….it’s….”
She hesitated, then continued, “It’s too bad Serene’s gone….we could have had her try to get the truth out of Gilla, see if she can lie.”
“It wouldn’t work anyway,” Mel said quietly. “The Talent of an Angel usually weakens when they’re expecting.”
“Oh.”
“Maybe wrestle around with Michael?” Barry suggested awkwardly. “He’s the strongest of you, right?”
Gilla and Mel nodded slowly.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Mel said, sipping his tea thoughtfully.
Gilla signed, and Nora nodded. “Right.”
She looked at Barry. “She says we should wait for Michael and Gabriel to get back so we can come up with a new plan.”
“New plan. Right,” Barry said, nodding. “Right. So….did we find anything?”
“Serene said Grayson talked about two roommates, who we’re assuming are Angels, one of them being Persephone,” Mel said. “And his flat should still be in Chelsea.”
“That makes at least three Angels,” Nora said vaguely. “That we know of.”
“One who can contort their subject’s body, and another who can lure people to him,” Mel replied.
Gilla signed, and Nora nodded. “Two missing girls,” she translated for Barry.
“Grayson could have lured them,” Mel said slowly. “Lured them to the flat. Persephone killed them. Not sure about the other Angel.”
They were quiet, thinking. Barry thought hard, but he couldn’t come up with a new plan, or even an idea. They had no idea where in Chelsea the flat was, how many Angels there truly were, or how to find them in the first place. The Immortals could go back to patrolling Hackney and Croydon, he supposed, but there wasn’t much chance of running into anyone there, as they hadn’t yet already.
It wasn’t a good start. Michael and Gabriel returned at noon, and the six talked in the living room, trying desperately to come up with something--anything. Women’s lives were on the line, and two had most likely already slipped away.
But nothing came; there was nothing to go on. Frustrated, they gave up, and went their separate ways to cool off.
Barry and Gabriel went to their room. Barry could hear loud thuds coming from the loft, and assumed Gilla was testing out their Immunity theory on Michael.
He sat at his desk while Gabriel paced, bouncing ideas off the walls, wearing himself out until he sighed and collapsed on the bed.
Barry flopped down beside him, and they looked at each other.
Barry couldn’t help but grin. I love you. Shit, he had never been so giddy over those words.
Gabriel chuckled, holding his hand. “You seem better.”
“I had some tea.”
“Look, I meant what I said,” he murmured, studying the ceiling, “and….I’m staying here. I’m not going back Home.”
Barry stared at him. This revelation was even more incredible than the whole “I love you” thing.
“You don’t have to,” he said instantly, and Gabriel immediately rolled his eyes.
“I know I don’t have to. I want to. You heard me earlier, didn’t you?”
He looked at Barry, who nodded.
“Right. So I’m staying with you,” he said firmly.
He hesitated, then continued, “I just don’t know how good I’ll be. At….what do you call it? ‘Boyfriend?’”
“Or partner….whatever.”
“I’ve never done that before.”
He paused, then said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” Barry said firmly.
He nodded, looking a little reassured. “I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Gabe. Happier than I’ve been in years.”
“I make you that happy?”
Now Barry laughed, and Gabriel grinned. Barry turned and kissed him, roughly, feeling a rush as his giddiness washed over him again.
This was really happening.
It was a rainy night.
His job at the club was slow, and he leaned against the wall and thought about what Serene had said. Troubled. Jesus. No fucking kidding.
But Gabriel wasn’t an idiot. Sure, he’d never been in a relationship before--didn’t quite understand humans either--but that didn’t change how they felt for each other. It was the strongest bond Barry had ever experienced. Surely that was more important than everything else.
“Hey, Barry,” one of the other bouncers said. “Your sister’s in the back.”
Barry frowned. “My what?”
“Your sister, mate. In the back.”
It took him a moment before he went down the hall. He didn’t have any siblings. And if he had one now, that was a whole other can of worms to be opened.
He got to the break room, and stopped by the door, suddenly realizing: Alice. Had she found him?
In all the talks and worries about Serene, Barry and Gabriel had completely forgotten to mention last night’s visitor.
Fuck, they were stupid.
He shifted on his feet. Serene said that Grayson had mentioned two roommates. Was Alice one of them? And if she was--was she, then, an Angel?
He was in for a world of shit.
The door opened then, and there she was, smiling that plastic smile again.
“Thought I’d find you,” she said, dropping the posh accent. “I have a proposition. Don’t worry,” she continued, grabbing Barry’s neck as he turned to leave, “I’ll be quick.”
He had never felt such strength before. She grabbed him by the throat, squeezing, and dragged him into the room. She threw him on the couch and closed the door behind her.
“Don’t bother screaming,” she said as he opened his mouth, “the music is too loud.”
Barry sat up, staring at her. His heart raced in his chest, and he looked around for an exit. There was the window, but it was boarded up, a hook for the fire extinguisher hanging from it.
Alice sat beside him, and his skin crawled. She smiled. “I just have some questions.”
“Fuck you,” Barry spat, sliding away from her.
She ignored him, slipping something from her pocket. “I think this might help,” she said, holding a small bag containing a snow white powder.
Barry’s heart stopped, and he jumped to his feet and backed away.
“You’re a sick cunt,” he growled, backing into the wall.
The fire extinguisher was just ten paces away.
Alice’s smile dropped, and she glared. “You know what I am, don’t you? Do you really want to do this the hard way?”
“Don’t care,” he said, slowly shifting to the left.
Five paces.
She stood, eyes flashing. “I’m offering payment.”
He was quiet for a moment, staring at the little packet in her hand. She smiled enticingly, and held it out so he could better see it.
That awful craving again. God, it was right there.
He took a shaky breath. Breathe, breathe.
Don’t do it.
Then he held out a hand, before he could change his mind. Alice smiled again. She took a step forward.
He ripped the extinguisher off its hook, pulled the pin, and squeezed. A stream of white gushed from the hose, engulfing the Angel and making her shriek.
Barry dropped the extinguisher, darted across the room, wrenched open the door and bolted, racing down the hall, through the back exit, out into the rainy night.
He knew Alice was on his heel. He ran down the alley, through to the opposite street. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt, and his shoes clapped against the pavement. Rain poured in sheets, soaking him, making him slip as he sped around the corner. The street was flooded, with rivers of water rushing into the open sewers.
He ran out into the street, desperate, when he felt her hands grab him. She hauled him up and threw him through the air. He spun, not knowing which way was up, until he landed hard on his side. The force rolled him onto his back, and his head smacked sharply on the ground.
Stars popped in his eyes, but Alice was approaching. He could hear the sound of water flooding into a drain and looked to his left: a sewer. He rolled fast, squeezing through the opening and down the five foot drop onto the floor below.
Everything was a blur. He couldn’t remember Alice swearing, trying desperately to squeeze in after him. He couldn’t remember getting out of the sewer. He couldn’t remember fishing around for his phone and calling Nora. He couldn’t remember what he said to her, and he couldn’t remember the swarm of Angels that appeared, rushing him, looking him over, wrapping a blanket around him.
“Is he answering?”
“I’m calling him again.”
“Text him. Say it’s an emergency.”
“Hello? Andreas, hey….look, I’m so sorry, but we have someone hurt here….yes, please….don’t worry about us, we won’t hurt you….”
His head pounded painfully, and he felt sick. He was dizzy, lightheaded. The rest of his body felt like one giant bruise, and it hurt to breathe. He tasted blood, and he smelled it too. He couldn’t see. After a moment he realized there was a moist cloth over his eyes.
He moved a painful arm and tugged it off. Light immediately blinded him, making his head pound. He swore.
“Hey,” Gabriel’s voice said, and Barry felt a soft hand brush his hair. “You all right?”
He managed to open his eyes again, adjusting slowly to the lit room. They were in the living room, and he was lying on the couch. Gabriel was next to him, touching him soothingly, and everyone else was standing around the room, talking. Nora was on the phone, looking pale, and Michael and Mel were murmuring to each other. Gilla was sitting at the end of the couch, touching his foot, looking stony.
“If she knows where we are, then it’s not safe here anymore,” Mel was saying, a dark scowl on his face.
“She must know. She probably followed him to the club.”
“It’s a miracle he survived.”
“And he didn’t take the bait,” Michael whispered, but Barry heard anyway.
He suddenly remembered the little bag in Alice’s hands, and another craving washed over him. Christ, he could at least use something for the pain….
He squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths. He needed a distraction.
“Talk to me,” he said to Gabriel, who brushed at his hair again. “Please.”
Gabriel didn’t ask why he was so insistent, just replied, “Nora’s calling a doctor. Make sure you’re all right.”
“Right.”
He paused, then said, “Barry, what you did was heroic. You protected us; you didn’t give that Angel shit. And you….you know, you….you fought it. You didn’t take the bait.”
Barry was quiet. He wasn’t used to praise. It was very strange, and he found himself emotional. He opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling and hoped that Gabriel would interpret the look on his face as one of pain instead of anguish.
The doctor arrived. He was young, attractive, with a foreign accent. Barry could instantly tell that he knew the true nature of the group before him. He was awkward, uncomfortable. But he sighed and bent over Barry,
shining a light in his eyes, making him squeeze his hands, rotate his arms.
He shook his head. “He still needs a scan,” he said, looking up at Nora and Mel. “To be positive. You’ll have to go to hospital.”
Barry closed his eyes. He hated hospitals; he had spent his fair share of time in them, mostly to detox.
But he didn’t argue--he wasn’t Immortal, after all--and they packed him up in the car and drove him to the A&E.
It was a surprisingly short wait, and soon Barry was in the back, wearing a hospital gown and lying face up in the bed.
Gabriel dimmed the lights. It was just him and Nora who had accompanied Barry, leaving the rest behind to soothe the disturbed and bewildered doctor.
The nurse came in and took his medical history. “Any history of substance abuse?” she asked.
Barry took a deep breath. “Yes, ma’am.”
Her tone immediately changed. “Intravenous?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago.”
“About thirteen months.”
She looked at him. “Not related to your mugging.”
They had agreed to use a mugging as an excuse for his injuries.
Barry shook his head, but the nurse seemed doubtful. The doctor came in, and she whispered in his ear.
He nodded. “Put in orders for a tox screen,” he said quietly.
Barry sighed.
“How is that necessary, exactly?” Nora asked, and Barry was surprised to see she looked angry. “Shooting up doesn’t cause a mugging, last time I checked.”
“We have to see what he’s using to determine what medications we can give him,” the doctor said calmly.
“He’s not using anything; he just said.”
“Nora, it’s all right,” Barry said, though both she and Gabriel looked mutinous. “Just let them do it.”
So the nurse returned with several empty vials. She touched a vein in Barry’s arm, but he shook his head.
“Not that one; it’s shot,” he said quietly. “Try the one next to it.”
She nodded, but was unsuccessful. “It’s too scarred,” she said, and he could tell she was trying to be patient. “I’ll have to stick your hand.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
While she got the blood his insides burned with shame. Here was his history, or part of his history, laid bare for both of them to see. If Gabriel had wondered why Serene had a problem with Barry, here was his answer.
